For
whatever reason, Michigan State has been
rather bi-polar - a team that can look like
a national title contender one week and
a Pop Warner team the next. They were a
little more consistent under first-year
coach Smith, but still had an early loss
to Louisiana Tech and a blowout at Wisconsin,
but wins against Iowa, Minnesota and a near
upset of Michigan.

One
of these years, the Spartans will put it
all together. That could be 2005, but don't
count on it happening this fall.

This
team took some time to gel in '03, peaked
near midseason, then they lost four of their
last five. State still finished fourth in
the Big Ten and reached a bowl, a surprise
given the previous year's 4-8 finish. Smith,
in the second year of a nine-year deal,
locked up a top-20 recruiting class during
this past off-season, one of many signs
that this program is headed back in the
direction Nick Saban had it going when he
left in 1999.

Smith
had success with the spread he imported
from Louisville. But keep in mind that Northwestern
turned itself around for one season, in
2000, by implementing the spread. That version
was deciphered and copied, so many will
see it coming. Still, the depth and speed
on offense will again assure this system's
success at Michigan State.

So
we'll see how savvy Smith is this fall.
With a new QB and some changes on both lines,
expect another sluggish start and at least
once weak performance (at Rutgers in the
opener?) before the Oct. 30 date at the
Big House. By then, with some time for these
guys to gel, wins should be forthcoming.
The Spartans won't finish fourth, but they
should be good enough to make it back to
a bowl. That momentum will carry over into
the following fall, when almost the entire
offense returns. Just keep away from these
guys if your office pool lists them - there
is just no telling when they will win and
lose in 2004.

Quarterback
There's a three-way battle for the QB spot this
spring, but the starter won't be determined then.
For State fans, this is a familiar theme - a recovering
Jeff Smoker didn't return until last fall, when
he regained his starting job. The front-runner
to step in for Smoker, the school's career passing
leader in nearly every major category, is Drew
Stanton. The sophomore was No. 2 on the depth
chart all of last season, but injured his knee
in December's Alamo Bowl loss to Nebraska and
is out this spring. He has almost the same size
and build of Smoker, and his 98-mph fastball caught
the attention of MLB scouts back in high school.
He's the strong-armed guy you want running this
pass-heavy spread attack. Consider the spring
three-way between limited veteran Damon Dowdell
(six career starts) and freshmen Stephen Reaves
and Sean Clayton a primary for the right to face
Stanton in the fall. A small, quick thrower whose
father John was an NFL QB, Reaves has the best
shot at knocking off Stanton.

Running
Back
Almost 60 percent of last year's offensive plays
were passes, and John L. Smith, as evidenced above,
isn't going to deviate from the one-back spread
to power football just because Smoker's gone.
He's trying 2003's top rusher, Jaren Hayes, at
cornerback this spring. If Hayes stays there,
junior burners DeAndra Cobb and Jason Teague will
split reps in the backfield. Cobb, who runs 4.3
in the 40, was used mostly as a kick returner.
Teague led the team's backs with 5.2 yards per
carry. Hayes was also State's No. 2 receiver,
but both Cobb and Teague have the mitts needed
to factor into the passing game. They also have
the quickness to break it outside and spread defenses
(hence the cleverly named offense), but none is
large enough to be a bruiser. In other words,
they fit this offense, but lack the durability
to be backs that get 20+ carries per game.

Wide
Receiver
This group has the athleticism and experience,
but will have little time to build chemistry with
Stanton. That's not a promising prospect for a
group that wasn't one of the more productive WR
units in the Big Ten. Talented slot Agim Shabaj
showed flashes of stardom as a soph with his 4.37
speed, but junior "Z" Kyle Brown (16.6
yards per catch) appeared quicker in game situations.
Aaron Alexander is a 6-5 athlete who moved from
QB to "X" and was Smoker's most reliable
receiver by the end of the year. 6-6 junior Matt
Trannon will blossom with his speed, too. The
point is there's potential o'plenty here for the
Green, and these guys will have to make good on
it with a new QB and some uncertainty in the backfield.
Look for JC-transfer Kenny Jackson to make an
immediate impact. In other words, a much improved
unit is what all will see.

Tight
End
A key piece of the passing puzzle, sure-handed
senior tight end Eric Knott should improve on
his 31 catches. He responded to Smith's weight-loss
demands, shedding 20 pounds during the winter
(270 to 250). If you haven't noticed, speed is
the theme on this offense, and a faster Knott
gives defenses one more target to worry about,
especially those with slower LB units. Expect
his presence as a viable weapon to make the entire
offense better, like a good TE should do when
utilized intelligently.

Offensive
Line
Three starters are gone from a unit that didn't
do a great job protecting Smoker (32 sacks allowed
-- seventh-most in the conference) or opening
holes up front (Big Ten-worst 3.2 yards per carry).
With Smoker gone, those numbers must improve.
The unit will be braced by two behemoths. Junior
Stephon Wheeler, quick for his size, is back at
left tackle, and Smith as well likes the athleticism
of 6-7 redshirt freshman Mike Gyetvai. Size and
athleticism will be key, as opposing coordinators
will throw plenty of disguised blitz packages
at these guys to expose both a young line and
its new field general so as to disrupt the passing
game. You'll know when they gel - the coaches
will call a higher percentage of running plays,
making such blitzes inert and forcing LBs and
stunting sequences to wait that extra second before
committing, which is all the time in the world
for these MSU QBs.

OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Let's face it, this team doesn't get to a bowl
last fall without Smoker. That burden now falls
on Stanton. Besides staying healthy, he has to
display the leadership and mastery of the offense
that he did last spring when he won the starting
job (before Smoker's reinstatement). Smith's air
attack gave teams trouble, but opponents won't
be taken by surprise this year. For this team
to improve on last year's 8-5 record and fourth-place
conference finish, it'll need more balance from
the running game. There's speed everywhere, but
too many question marks to believe that'll happen.
The line and its ability will make or break the
Spartans, once again. If they perform, the other
dimensions can thrive with the abundance of talent.

TE
Eric Knott

MICHIGAN
STATE 2004 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

OFFENSE

QB

Stephen
Reaves-Fr (6-1, 200)

Drew
Stanton-So (6-3, 223)
Damon Dowdell-Sr (6-1, 220)

RB

DeAndra
Cobb-Sr (5-10, 191)

Jason
Teague-Jr (5-9, 191)
Jehuu Caulcrick-Fr (6-0, 250)

WR

Matt
Trannon-Jr (6-6, 228)

Aaron
Alexander-Jr (6-5, 196)

WR

Kyle
Brown-Jr (6-1, 200)

Irving
Campbell-Fr (5-11, 180)

WR

Agim
Shabaj-Jr (5-10, 187)

Jerramy
Scott-So (5-10, 183)

TE

Eric
Knott-Sr (6-3, 254)

Jason
Randall-Sr (6-5, 260)

OT

Stefon
Wheeler-Jr (6-5, 329)

Pete
Clifford-Fr (6-7, 310)

OG

Kyle
Cook-So (6-3, 296)

Luis
Fonseca-Fr (6-4, 285)

C

Chris
Morris-Jr (6-4, 293)

John
Masters-Fr (6-4, 270)

OG

William
Whitticker-Sr (6-5, 319)

Gordon
Niebylski-Jr (6-3, 310

OT

Sean
Poole-Sr (6-7, 294)

Mike
Gyetvai-Fr (6-7, 312)

K

Dave
Rayner-Sr (6-2, 207)

..

2004
DEFENSE

Defensive
Line
The Big Ten's best pass rush (45 sacks in '03)
is retooling with the loss of three starting linemen,
including their sacks leader. The pressure won't
be as intense, but it'll still be a factor. Clifford
Dukes, a proven penetrator, moves from the "stud"
position to "rush" end. He'll be joined
by plenty of unproven players, but senior Kevin
Vickerson is poised to make a statement in the
middle, though not as big as he needs to be for
the interior areas of Big Ten lines. JC transfers
Domata Peko and Daniel Zynn are ready and waiting.
The beleaguered secondary will have to improve
without as much help up front.

Linebacker
State's system has a middle and weak-side backer,
along with a hybrid LB-DB dubbed "bandit."
Struggles early last fall forced a switch back
to a traditional three-LB look. That could be
the case again as there is no ideal candidate
to replace Monquiz Wedlow entering the spring
(converted RB Tyrell Dortch is atop the depth
chart). On the bright side, Ronald Stanley (Mike
LB) and Seth Mitchell (Will LB) each had more
than 100 tackles and provide nice size and speed.
If the line can keep them free, they should run
down most carriers enough to key a stingy run
defense that should play up to 2003's 27th ranking
by again keeping opponent's rushing average per
carry under 3.5 yards.

Defensive
Back
The switch of Dortch and Hayes to the secondary
is indicative of the necessity for improvement
here. All four starters are back, but that's not
comforting for the Big Ten's worst pass defense,
a unit that made Nebraska look like Air Coryell.
It didn't help that strong safety Eric Smith,
the best player in the secondary, missed the final
four games due to a knee injury. He's out for
the spring following knee and shoulder surgery.
His health, as well as getting something out of
the bandit spot, is key. But neither is certain.
The entire unit has been shuffled in spring, so
all are hoping that mixing it up will help. There
are so many changes, something this time around
has to be better for this area.

DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Despite some losses up front, the run defense
figures to be inconsistent again - three late
season losses wiped the modest gains of 2003's
earlier tilts. This team cannot afford to rank
in the top-third in the country for rushing defense
while ranking again in the bottom-third for pass
defense. That'll put even more pressure on the
secondary. The offense isn't exactly built to
keep the defense off the field (State's time of
possession numbers were third-worst in the Big
Ten). And the pass rush of a year ago won't be
there. None of this bodes well for the d-backs,
who will be tested more often than Lance Armstrong's
urine. The Spartans will have to score points
to win big games. This side of the ball will be
the detriment of this 2004 Spartan squad.

FS
Jason Harmon

MICHIGAN
STATE 2004 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

DEFENSE

DE

Clifford
Dukes-Sr (6-3, 257)

Daryl
Melvin-Jr (6-5, 258)

DT

Kevin
Vickerson-Sr (6-4, 283)

Brian
Davies-Sr (6-5, 267)

DT

Brandon
McKinney-Jr (6-3, 330)

Joe
Toth-Fr (6-2, 279)

DE

Clifton
Ryan-So (6-2, 289)

Michael
Bazemore-Jr (6-3, 260)

MIKE

Ronald
Stanley-Sr (6-0, 232)

David
Herron-Jr (6-1, 250)

WHIP

Seth
Mitchell-Jr (6-2, 248)

Kaleb
Thornhill-Fr (6-1, 236)

BAN

Tyrell
Dortch-Sr (5-10, 206)

Kiel
Beltinck-So (5-9, 200)

CB

Darren
Barnett-Jr (6-0, 186)

Ashton
Watson-Jr (5-11, 179)

CB

Roderick
Maples-Sr (5-10, 189)

Jaren
Hayes-Jr (5-9, 183)

SS

Eric
Smith-Jr (6-1, 193)

Anthony
Belasco-So (5-10, 198)

FS

Jason
Harmon-Sr (5-11, 199)

Greg
Cooper-So (5-11, 185)

P

Brandon
Fields-So (6-6, 233)

..

2004
SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
There are no question marks here - Dave Rayner is one
of the Big Ten's best kickers. He was near perfect on
PATs and 22-of-29 on field goals, with four of those
misses coming beyond 50 yards (he also hit four beyond
50). Kickoff coverage was second in the conference and
will again take some pressure off.

Punter
At 46.4 yards per kick, Brandon Fields was the Div.
I-A's No. 2 punter. His coverage team, helped by plenty
of hang time, was sixth in the nation. This is a vital
asset, and with questions on defense, it's important
that this unit continue to pin opponents deep in their
own end. But with the defensive depth, expect the net
results to again suffer.

Return
Game
Smith might not want to give Cobb too large of a role
in the running game. He won't want to risk taking away
from what Cobb did on kick returns, a category in which
he ranked 11th. He took three kicks the distance, more
than anyone in the nation. The speedy Shabaj will take
over on punts and, along with Cobb, should give Stanton
good spots from which to start.